I began putting on the foundation trim. I’m doing it now because I want to side the dollhouse and it can't be sided until these pieces are in. All of these pieces are numbered and when you paint them, you won't be able to see the numbers unless you wrote them on the back side. Mines were in the front so I just aligned the pieces in numerical order so even after they are painted, I will know which is which.
I painted the mansard cornice I put up yesterday while some of the foundation pieces dried. I painted the mansard cornice trim and then glued it on, using the paper clamps to keep it nice and tight all around. Gluing on the bay walls was extremely easy. Everything just fit perfectly with no struggle. I glued on the top roof cornice. While the roof dried, I began siding.
I’m using Aleene’s Quick Grab glue. I’m siding BEFORE I put on the components because I like the finished look better. This means that I have to make sure I’m using a good quality glue because if I use hot glue the siding can slowly come off with the pressure of the components over it. I have to make sure that that siding will be rock hard on the dollhouse. As I side, I cut the siding around the window openings. It doesn’t have to be perfect because the window trim will hide everything. You do want it pretty close to the opening, so you don’t come up short later when you try to position the window. I don’t have to take the siding all the way up to the roof line because the fascias will go there all around the walls. I just made sure the measurement was correct so it went up far enough.
I measured the lap widths for the siding, as I go along, with an Emory fingernail file board. Also remember that the length of the trims is only 12 inches. Some walls are longer so you will have to butt two siding piece together to make the wall width. It's easier to do this at a window opening so the window breaks the joints. When that's not possible, you will have to stagger your joints so they do not form one long even line up your wall. I used masking tape to hold it down on the wall corners and paper clamps to hold it down around windows. Whenever I encountered a slot on the wall, I cut the same slot on the siding so whatever part goes in it won't have a blocked slot.
The only part you have to stop and be careful with is the barrel roof, gingerbread arch trim on the front of the dollhouse. You have to get the trim piece and present it on the dollhouse, so you can trace it exactly where it goes on the dollhouse. You can't side behind this trim or you will be able to see the siding lines through the holes. You have to trim at an arch and the only way you will know how to do it is by tracing the trim so you know where it begins and where the holes are. I applied the siding a little past the trace line, but not covering the hole marks so the trim will go over the siding. When I was done, I dry fitted the trim again to see if everything looked okay and it did.
Remember that the window trim also has a hole on the top pediment trim as well. If by any chance the siding line crosses that hole, you can always apply a piece of siding or very thin cardboard right behind it so you can't see the line. Paint it whatever color you want it to be before you glue it to the back of the window trim.
Applying the windows to this dollhouse after it's been sided will be easy because these windows have no casings. The trims sit on the wall around the window rather than in the window opening itself. This means that I can apply the acetate windows later on in the build and not when I glue on the exterior windows. I can use binder clips to hold the window trims tightly around the windows because the openings will not be obstructed by anything.
